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20 Tigers killed as Sri Lanka rejects truce
Sri Lankas defence ministry has claimed its forces have killed at least 20 Tamil Tiger rebels in renewed clashes in the north as the government rejected to observe a truce ahead of any peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels.The ministry said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels died in three separate clashes on Monday afternoon, bringing to at least 216 the number of guerrillas it has claimed to have killed since the beginning of the month. Only a handful of government soldiers have been reported killed or injured in the same period. No independent confirmation of the defence ministry claims were available, and journalists are barred from frontline areas. There was also no immediate word from the LTTE. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said on Tuesday Sri Lankas government is unwilling to observe a truce ahead of any peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels. There would be no point when previous ceasefires had been heavily breached by the rebels, the minister told a Tokyo news conference. Were always maintaining our position that we are ready to talk with the LTTE ... if they wish to indulge in a more reasonable approach, Bogollagama said. Military solution: The latest government claim of heavy casualties came as the British high commissioner to Colombo, Dominick Chilcott, urged the government to reconsider its view that the long-running civil war can be won. I cannot tell whether the government armed forces are capable of defeating the LTTE on the battlefield, Chilcott said at a public lecture here on Monday evening. But Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland and plenty of other conflicts tell us that winning the peace is more difficult than winning the war. Without resolving the underlying issues, even if the LTTE are badly beaten in the Wanni (where the Tigers maintain a mini-state), the conflict will continue in a different guise, he said. Posted by: Fred 2007-12-12 |
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